Positions of States and Organisations

States and some organisations have expressed their views about the utility, purpose, scope and process of the legal review of weapons in various different contexts. Some of these views have been recorded domestic documents, such as military manuals on the law of armed conflict. Increasingly, however, States and organisations have articulated their positions in a range of international fora, either through written submissions or oral interventions.

This database compiles and organises publicly expressed views in relation to legal reviews, without prejudice to their relative significance or effect (for example, in terms of the development of customary international law). The database aims to comprehensively reflect the views of states but only covers the positions of a small number of selected organisations.

This database currently contains 379 positions and is continuously updated. Any corrections, or suggestions to add material, are welcome.

4 positions Switzerland (remove filter) GGE LAWS 2018 (remove filter) Clear all

2018

  1. Statement by Switzerland

    29 August 2018State or organisation: SwitzerlandForum: GGE LAWS 2018

    [A political declaration] could spell out a number of measures such as transparency, legal reviews, best practices, technical standards or other policy measures.

  2. Statement by Switzerland

    13 April 2018State or organisation: SwitzerlandForum: GGE LAWS 2018

    A first example for concrete work in the CCW — whether triggered by a political declaration as just referred to, or by a more specific GGE mandate — are weapons reviews: This week showed again the centrality of the obligation to conduct legal reviews in …

  3. Statement by Switzerland

    11 April 2018State or organisation: SwitzerlandForum: GGE LAWS 2018

    Arguably, it might be possible in the future, to exert already a significant level of [human] control in the development and programming phase…Through legal reviews the capability to use a given system, in all or some circumstances, in compliance with international law can be verified.

  4. Statement by Switzerland

    9 April 2018State or organisation: SwitzerlandForum: GGE LAWS 2018

    Key elements of such a [political] declaration [by the CCW] could include: … In view of ensuring compliance, a reaffirmation of the obligation to review new weapons and to determine whether their employment would, in some or all circumstances, contravene existing international law; … Still …